Parabolic, three-dimensional, concentrators are commonly used for concentrating electromagnetic irradiation onto collecting apparatuses. Large area concentrators, typically with a diameter exceeding 15 m. are required when the irradiation energy is either relatively weak or a large absolute energy content is required for the purpose of the collecting apparatus. Present art large area, three-dimensional, parabolic concentrators require complex and massive support structures to ensure the structural integrity and reflective surface accuracy of the concentrator, because of stresses and deformations induced by combinations of inertia, wind and thermal load. The support structure does not either directly or indirectly contribute to the purpose of the concentrator; it only augments the specific cost, complexity and weight of the device. Whilst military and space applications do not necessarily require low specific cost, for civilian applications, energy and telecommunication applications in particular, low specific costs are paramount for technology implementation. From a further aspect, existing large area concentrators are not specifically designed for long range transportation in standardized containers, which further increase the device's specific cost due to unique packaging, handling and transportation methodologies. Experience has shown that susceptibility to damage during shipping, especially loading and unloading, is quite common. Further, the weight of existing large area concentrators is exceedingly high, typically 50 to 100 kilo per square meter. This fact implies that even if the concentrator is manufactured in segments, the handling, assembly and replacement of a single sub-unit requires dedicated support equipment that typically may increase the initial and operational cost of the system. Further cost, or, alternatively, loss of data information, can arise because of prolonged downtime in replacing defective reflector segments. Furthermore, the present art of manufacturing large area concentrator segments in a non-repetitive procedure requires individual matching, identification and packing of all said parts and sub-parts, which at assembly prolong the setup time and complexity; thus further inflating system costs. From a further aspect, the prospect of mobility of large area concentrators has been considered as prohibitive due to the complexity, risk and time required to disassemble, transport and assemble the unit when all parts require individual matching. This drawback has impaired the operation or many electronic communications and radar systems which necessitate a concentrator system that is readily dispatchable and can be operational within typically a few hours after arriving at the designated site. Large area concentrators, especially static, are susceptible to damages due to weather extremes, such as strong winds and hail. Lack of an autonomous automated control station, with real time information of local weather, prevents placing the concentrator in a predetermined optimal position, minimizing the risk of environmentally inflicted damage be it either wind, snow, hail or a combination thereof. The lack of such a protective control algorithm mode further inflates the system's operational cost due to weather-induced damages or in the extreme case—a total system loss.
For many years different methods have been utilized to form concentrators having a parabolic or quasi-parabolic shape. Small area concentrators, typically with an area less than 3 m2, are traditionally manufactured as a single unit either by press forming a metal sheet or by different variations of molding. Large area concentrators have typically been manufactured in “pie” slice sub segments or a multitude of facets. Said segments have little or no inherent structural strength or stability, thus requiring a complex matrix or truss members in order to achieve the structural strength and rigidity required sustaining inertia and winding loads whilst maintaining necessary reflective surface accuracy. The multitude of said structural support parts and sub-parts used in the construction of the concentrator, augment unnecessarily the unit cost, complexity, time to assemble and total overall weight, with no contribution to the primary function of the system—concentrating electromagnetic irradiation onto a receiving apparatus.
These and various other problems were not satisfactorily resolved until the emergence of the present invention.